I%26#39;m going to Paris in 15-20 May. This is my first time in Paris (and Europe) so !%26#39;d really appreciate some help here!
1) I%26#39;m from a tropical country where the avg temperature is 24-33 celcius. My friend has this long leather jacket (almost knee-length) that she can lend me .. I know it%26#39;s spring in Paris in May, so will I get laughed at if I wear that in Paris? We people from the tropics can%26#39;t really take the cold :) Will there be a lot of strong chilly winds?
2) How much should I budget for an average meal for one? Coffee and light snacks sitting at a sidewalk cafe?
3) Where can I find nice jackets in Paris? I%26#39;m looking for a jacket for cool weather, like 10-20 celcius, non-branded ... What%26#39;s the price range for such jackets? Any advice on other shopping places for affordable but nice clothes, bags and shoes would be appreciated!
4) I understand that there%26#39;s a flea market known as Clignancourt ... Any idea about the opening hours?
5) I%26#39;ll be arriving in Paris on a Sunday afternoon, any advice on things to do then? I understand that many shops would be closed ...
Any other advice on must-sees, must-dos, or must-eats would be appreciated! Sorry for the many questions!
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Hello kwik,
Since no one has tried to answer you yet, thought I would give it a go.
Last May was a bit chilly some days so I would guess a leather knee length would be fine if it should be chilly again, but it could be fairly warm too. Plan on layering and you should be fine.
Meals can cost whatever. Cafe will run maybe 2 or 3 euros depending on the sidewalk cafe and by light snacks if you mean a sandwich, I would guess maybe 4 or 5 euros...maybe less maybe more.
Galleries Lafayette and Printemps are huge department stores close together (along with many other shops in the area) behind the Garnier opera house and have a wide selection of clothes and everything. Opened late on Thrusdays. Have no idea what you would have to pay.
Cligancourt is a weekend market so you will most likely totally miss it unless you want to head right up there when you arrive. I have no idea when they start to close up. There are many other daily street markets in Paris though none anywhere the size of Cligancourt but some are very nice and might be fun for you.
If you were to go to the Marais.....arrondisement 4....on Sunday, not only is it very interesting, but the stores are all opened until maybe 7 PM. Many nice smaller shops there selling everything. Start somewhere around Place des Voges.
If you are coming directly from Singapore, you might want to take a bit of a nap when you first arrive though.............maybe. If you do, be sure you wake yourself up for going out in the evening or you just might sleep till the wee hours of the morning when there will be nothing to do.
In any case you will find much to do in your short time there. Sounds as if you have some good information, so just figure out what you want to see and make sure you get to those sites.
Have fun,
Bea
Bea
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Hi Bea,
Thanks for the tips :) I did a lot of research via the Net ... Read that Clignancourt is open from Sat - Mon - is that not true? Any comments on this clothing market called Mouton-Duvernet?
I%26#39;ll be visiting Rome and Venice before Paris, so there should be little jet lag. I%26#39;m really excited about this trip as I%26#39;ve always wanted to visit these cities!
I%26#39;ll be staying at rue Delambre, at Montparnasse. Any recommendations on interesting places to go around that area?
Thanks in advance!
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Hi Kwik
I%26#39;d agree that the Marais is a good area to head for on your first Sunday as things actually open there and it%26#39;s a lovely area to wander - like a small village in the town. There are several interesting museums in the area too - Carnavalet and the Picasso and the %26#39;museum of magic%26#39; etc.
Shops like ZARA have interesting clothes - generally based on whatever was on the catwalks that season - at a reasonable price along with well priced staples (coloured T-shirts and strap tops, shoes, accessories). There%26#39;s a big one at 128 rue de Rivoli and there%26#39;s also a H %26amp; M (more clothes and accessories) at 120 rue de Rivoli. There is also a SEPHORA (skin care and perfumes) which is my idea of heaven but dangerous on the wallet!
I was in Paris May last year and will be there again this May. The weather was generally mild and sunny last year and I only needed a light jacket. But I do live in the UK so these temps seem reasonable to me! If you feel the cold I would suggest layering so you avoid carrying around a heavy coat . Paris tends to be rainy (although April seemed worse for this than May last year) so a light weight, folding umbrella that slips in your bag might be useful.
Paris will seem slightly less frenetic after Rome ;o)
Have a wonderful time.
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Oh I forgot about Montparnasse
For locations and how to get around go to
www.ratp.fr and you can get directions and maps and so on.
Food markets in Paris a just great and there%26#39;s one of on blvd Edgar Quinet open from about 7am to 1pm on Wednesday and Saturday.
Never tried this place but sounds interesting
La Coupole
(tel 01 43 20 14 20, 102 blvd du Montparnasse, 14e, metro Vavin). La Coupole%26#39;s famous mural-covered columns (decorated by such artists as Brancusi and Chagall), dark wood-panelling and indirect lighting have hardly changed since the days of Sartre, Soutine, Man Ray and Josephine Baker. This 450-seat brasserie, which opened in 1927, opens noon to 1am or 1.30am daily. There%26#39;s dancing on some nights and tea dances at the weekend.
also
La Closerie des Lilas
(tel 01 40 51 34 50, 171 blvd du Montparnasse, 6e, metro Port Royal). Anyone who has read Hemingway will know that he did a lot of writing, drinking and eating of oysters here; little brass tags on the tables tell you exactly where he (and other luminaries such as Picasso and Apollinaire) whiled away the hours. It%26#39;s open 11.30am to 1am daily.
I guess if you want a good view of Paris other than from the Tour Eiffel you could try
http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/
I imagine you also have the Palais and Jardin de Luxembourg about a mile away too.
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Kwik, you%26#39;re correct, the flea market by Cligancourt is open on Mondays. I went there on a Monday on my last trip.
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Thanks for the confirmation RedSavage!
ebabe69,
Thanks for all the recommendations! Yep, I%26#39;m planning on bringing that umbrella with me :) Guess I%26#39;ll layer my clothes and bring a jacket to Paris, just in case. Coming from a really warm country, most of my clothes are lightweight, sleeveless tops so packing is gonna be tough ... I%26#39;ve heard about how Paris ladies are so well-dressed so I wanna look good too :)
I%26#39;m still planning my itinerary, having a headache now. On one hand, I wanna visit several museums and monuments. On the other hand, I%26#39;m afraid that the trip would become too frentic :)
Since I have 5 days in Paris, do you think I should spend one day at Versailles?
I%26#39;m looking forward to shopping! But the euro is so expensive so I don%26#39;t think I can buy much.
One last question, do you know if there%26#39;s a tourist information centre at the airport? If so, any idea where it%26#39;s located?
Sorry for the many questions! Thanks!
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I%26#39;m sure you%26#39;ll look fine. Without wanting to annoy anyone you see well-dressed and badly-dressed people in any city, of all nationalities, all over the world. Dress for comfort *and* style!
H %26amp; M is not an expensive shop so hopefully your Euros will stretch further there.
The best advice, for a shortish trip to Paris, is to accept you cannot possibly see everything. Try and do what you can well and in a way you can enjoy and hope to return. I%26#39;m not sure what to say about Versailles - do a search here and get feedback from others who%26#39;ve done it.
There is no tourist office at CDG to my knowledge. The main one is on the Champs Elysees (metro Geroges V or Charles de Gaulle-Eoile) with branches at the Gares du Nord, L%26#39;Est, Lyon, D%26#39;Austerlitz and Montparnasse (which should be near your hotel?) plus the Tour Eiffel.
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Hi ebabe69,
Yep, I really should just plan my trip and then relax and see what happens there :) This forum has been really helpful! I%26#39;ll think about Versailles after I get to Paris. I think there%26#39;ll probably be so much to see and do in Paris that I won%26#39;t have time to go to Versailles ...
Thanks for all your tips!
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For a Sunday afternoon, a walk to the gardens of Luxenburg would be a fine way to start your stay. Depending on where you are in Montparnasse, it should be a nearby walk. Grab a chair and observe what surrounds you. The gardens were blooming when I was there last Sunday. Bus 82 goes from the Jardins de Luxenburg all the way through the Eiffel Tower area, over the Seine River on to Porte Maillot/Palais de Congress (one metro stop from the Arc de Triomphe). Don%26#39;t know if it%26#39;d run on Sunday (I know it does not run late at night) but it%26#39;d be a relaxed way to make it through the city when you first arrive and see some of it as well (vs. riding the Metro underground). For more euros, you could take the L%26#39;Open Bus tour around the city on Sunday as well, and get on/off where you please.
I don%26#39;t know your level of interest in French history when it comes to Versailles, but I don%26#39;t believe it is necessary to spend an entire day there. I went there (had 4 full days/5 night stay in Paris) on a Wednesday afternoon (Museum Pass saves time-not spent in lines) and saw the State Apartments (the King%26#39;s and Queen%26#39;s rooms and the Hall of Mirrors). The Hall of Mirrors is currently under renovation so you can only see a part of it. You do get a glimpse of the grandeur of such a room when you are there (a subjective comment). I did not purchase the audiotour since there was quite a line for that. I was satisfied with the descriptions provided (at the rooms). A good Paris travel book can also give you more information on the Versailles rooms if you want more information. The gardens were not in full bloom so I was not going to spent the 3 Euros to go there-preferred to get back to Paris at that point. By May, the gardens should look beautiful. I suppose if you go to the gardens you could end up spending more of your day there.
Took the RER train to Versailles (purchased an updated round trip ticket to Versailles at the Metro station). The ride to Versailles is one where you see (in my opinion) the non-glamorous side of Paris and its suburbs. Lots of graffiti but that may be typical of areas near trains anywhere. Not exactly a picture of wealth up until you land at the Palace of Versailles itself. It gives you a fuller picture of the country if you are not traveling anywhere else in France beyond Paris. If you go, unless you are fascinated with this time period in French history, impressed by the extravagant living of the royals and are not all that interested in other aspects of Paris, don%26#39;t spend an entire day there, come back in time to enjoy more of the real Paris.
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Thanks for the tips :) I%26#39;m really not too familiar with French history but have heard that it might be worthwhile to visit Versailles since I have 6 days 5 night in Paris. But, looking at the places I wanna visit in Paris, I think 6 days is not enough! I guess I might skip Versailles altogether, and spend my time exploring Paris in more detail :)
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